PUPILS from a Walkden school will be helping orphaned and destitute children in Romania.

For the past two years, senior pupils at St George's RC High School have been trained as mentors to help new pupils at their own school deal with problems and personal issues.

The programme has been so successful that next month the mentors will travel to Romania to help children there.

Through the UK charity Hope and homes, the school - together with Salford Business Education Partnership - is running the scheme to help young people who once lived in the country's notorious orphanages.

They have now been placed in small family homes that accommodate 12 children per house.

Youth worker Steve Greer, who is leading the programme, said: "children in Romania may lack in self-esteem, social skills and educational needs.

"The pupils from St George's will utilise the skills and knowledge that they have gained from their own experiences in mentoring and will take a leading role in training the young people to become effective mentors, which will help the children in Romania immensely."

Mr Greer put forward the idea of mentoring after working as a volunteer with the charity during the summer holidays.

He will now take a group of six pupils together with Deborah Wynn, the peer-mentoring co-ordinator and manger of the programme, and teacher Sharon McGuigan, to Baia Mare, Transylvania, for a week.

The trip will cost a total of £3,000 which has been raised by the pupils.

Hope and Homes for Children cares for more than 10,000 children across Eastern Europe and Africa - from those who have lived their whole lives in terrible institutions in Eastern Europe, to orphans of the Rwandan genocide.

The charity provides foster homes and extended family support to give children love, stability, and education.

Now, with the help of Salford Business Education Partnership (BEP) and the pupils of St Georges, the charity is introducing the mentoring programme to further help the children.

Mr Greer said: "Often it is easier for children to speak to other children about their problems because they can relate to them and other children are more approachable.

"Orphans in Romania are often not accepted in the community and lack confidence. Mentoring will help them talk through these issues and overcome them and help integrate them into society."

Mentor Ashley Banner, aged 15, said: "Mentoring has been an important programme in our school. It really helps pupils to talk through their problems rather than keep them bottled up.

"It is great we are able to take this to Romania to help the children over there."

Each mentor has undergone training to take on the responsibility to enable them to counsel younger pupils.

Mr Greer said: "Some of the children will have learning difficulties in schools and various issues.

"They will be able to discuss these with the mentors.

Anna Mason, aged 12, of Walkden, said: "It is exciting to be able to go to Romania but I think it will be quite hard once we are there."

Ashley said: "I think it will quite upsetting to see the children, but we will do what can to help. Mentoring is a very important programme in school and does help younger pupils."

Materials to implement the programme will be provided by Salford BEP, which is running peer-mentoring schemes in schools throughout Salford.

Miss Wynn said: "The big issue dealt with by mentoring in schools here is bullying.

"In Romania, it will be starting school, moving from homes to homes.

"Sharing a problem really helps and will benefit the Romanian children by raising their confidence."

Barbara Keeley, MP for Worsley, said: "The mentoring work being done by older pupils at St George's is a great way for pupils to help younger pupils to develop their confidence when they move up to high school.

"The plan to use the skills already gained to help young people in Romania is a great one."